my prince, my princess
by paperbagface
Summary: Various pairings. Oneshot collection. AU. 3. SasuSaku. I wind up this aged music box to listen to that simple melody that fills me with memories of you - us.
1. the sky princess & her rainbow prince

I always see you painting sitting on that park bench, staring at the sky that changes each day. I brush past you, always looking over my shoulder just to look at the world you are creating with precise strokes of a paintbrush. Sometimes I think I understand that world – the beautiful hues and the emotions that flow from that small piece of paper. Sometimes I don't understand – why did you use those colors and those strokes?

_I see you painting so many worlds...  
And sometimes I wonder –  
Would I be part of them one day?_

_–_

_–_

_–_

**my prince, my princess**  
by: paperbagface

disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.  
_A/n: Oneshot collection, yay! I'm sorry for my lack of updating, but my senior year of high school is busy busy! I hope everyone had happy holidays and I wish all of you a very happy new year! C:_

**fairytale 1. the sky princess & her rainbow prince**

_–_

_–_

The first time I see you is when I'm taking a walk through the park in autumn. The leaves were swirling about you in reds, oranges, and yellows under the blue sky; your pink hair twirled in dances around your face and your apple green eyes were shining bright under the autumn sun. You were focused on a painting; there was a sketchbook on your lap and a palette of watercolors next to you on the park bench.

I didn't know who you were, and at that moment I don't think I cared. When I brushed past you, your simple painting on that canvas in the park captured my eyes. I was no art critic, nor did I know _anything _about art, but I knew that you were skilled enough to hold exhibits or even win some prestigious prizes.

You were painting the sky. You were a fourth done, yet there was something about your unfinished painting that inspired me. I think it was that the true blue of your sky was like an entire world in its own; it was like if there was some sort of _magic _that could place me in me right in the middle of your painting. It was as if you were a god, designing your own world of blue skies and autumn leaves.

I didn't say anything to you. I walked right past you, hands shoved in my pockets and my world encompassed with the music that pounded through my headphones.

_–_

_–_

I was surprised when I saw you take a seat a few booths away from me in the local café a few days after I first saw you. Your materials and supplies for creating another world are sitting right beside you, yet you were unfamiliar to me merely because you weren't painting; you weren't a god of some unfinished world. Rather, you were just _human. _

Your eyes met mine for a few seconds, and your lips formed a small smile. I looked away, and I felt the heat rush to my face to color my cheeks the embarrassing pink. When I stole another glance at you, you were already sipping away on that unknown drink that you ordered. You had a small sketchbook in front of you, and your right hand was lightly making strokes on the paper to create another world.

You were Untouchable again. I took a sip of my drink and stared outside of the café window, tapping my fingers against the table. I didn't really know what prompted me to, but I felt something unfamiliar rush through my veins; I left the café and ran to my apartment, where I picked up my dusty guitar, and started strumming.

_–_

_–_

I didn't walk by the park for a few months after that. I was busy during the daytime practicing with my band mates from high school; it had been around five years since we had broken up after our bassist graduated from high school. But recently, after we had all finished our four years of university, our rhythm guitarist began calling me again to play lead guitar and sing. But I hadn't played, nor did I have the inspiration to write song lyrics again, so I kept refusing.

But after I saw your unfinished painting – after you _smiled _that welcoming smile – inspiration rushed through me. I picked up my guitar that had been sitting in the corner of my apartment for the past five years, and began humming to the rhythm. My love for playing somehow returned to me, and I finally accepted the request to reform our old band that had been our glory days in high school.

Occasionally I would take a stroll through the park after a late night gig. I didn't expect to see you there, as all the streets in cities were dangerous for women at night. But after a particularly successful performance in one of the most popular bars in the city, I saw you sitting on the same park bench painting. I could see your breath form clouds from your mouth each time you exhaled, but your strokes never wavered or shivered. They were steady in finishing the world that you were creating, and I was almost fascinated.

I brushed past you again, but I still looked over my shoulder to look at your painting. You were painting the night sky, creating stars in the right places and painting the glowing moon to contrast against the onyx sky. I was captured by that world again.

"Good night," you said. Your voice was soft and sweet, and for some odd reason I wasn't surprised.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at you. You were turned away from your unfinished world, and you were smiling at me.

"Good night," I finally said.

You smiled again and turned away, your paintbrush once again meeting your canvas. You didn't say anything more to me, nor did you spare me another glance. I wasn't sure why you talked to me, but when I walked away, the cold air stung my cheeks that were hot from embarrassment.

I arrived in my apartment shortly after, and I dropped all my things on my bed. I took a seat on my desk, and then song lyrics suddenly poured out from me.

_–_

_–_

I didn't see you at the park for a few months after our first conversation. A lot changed in the few months of your absence. After a performance in one of the city's pubs, my band was scouted. My life became busy with recording our debut single, and there was rarely any time for me to stroll by the park to see if you were painting the sky again.

But when I did see you again, I was shocked. My father had forced me to come to a high society ball since my brother disappeared, and when I walked into the room full of people I haven't seen in years, I saw you in a pretty black dress. I don't know how I spotted you in a large crowd, because even with your bubblegum pink hair and your green eyes, there was a fairly large amount of people around you. You turned my way, your eyes wide. I had to loosen my tie because I felt my face heat up with embarrassment again, and then the world seemed to turn slowly as you began walking towards me.

"I knew it was you," you said.

I looked at you, rather confused at your cryptic words. You laughed, and I wondered when we had gotten to such familiar terms. After all, you've only said two words to me prior to our meeting today.

"Pardon?" I asked, formal words gushing from my mouth out of habit.

"You're the person I see walking in the park with his guitar on his back. Right?"

My heart thumped loudly against my chest because I didn't know you _noticed _me. You smiled and laughed again, and I thought that the invisible barrier that had been between us had just been shattered by a stroke of fate.

"I – guess I sort of knew you were Mr. Uchiha's son. I remember you when we were kids."

"That's – impossible," I replied, because it really was. After family problems my first year of junior high, my father shunned me from the family and forced me to live alone – for more than ten years, I had been living with minimal contact with my family.

"Don't you remember me, Sasuke?" You sincerely asked.

My heart thumped loudly again, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I never knew you would know my _name. _

I couldn't answer your question, because my father immediately cut into our conversation and pulled me away. I watched you disappear in the large crowd, my mind in a mess, but I still couldn't remember a time when I knew you before I saw you paint. When I met with my mother a few moments later, I immediately asked her about you.

"Haruno Sakura? I believe you met her once, Sasu-chan," my mother said. "Before you moved out, the Harunos became _nouveau riche. _She was at a ball, and she talked to you."

Mother smiled while she told me of her memory of you. But why didn't I have any memories of you?

How could I – forget you?

"Mother, why can't I remember?"

The look in Mother's eyes after I asked my question haunted me. It was pained – very _remorseful. _

"Sakura always paints the sky, doesn't she?" Mother asked, avoiding my question.

I nodded, as it's true. The only thing I've ever seen you paint was the sky.

"I wonder why that's true, Sasuke?"

She smiled and turned away from me, leaving me to my own world as people passed by me. I tried to look for you in the crowd again, but I couldn't find you. You disappeared.

_–_

_–_

A few days after, I saw you in the park again. You were painting as usual, and I rather liked the natural image much more than the formal one I had seen at the ball. I prepare myself for the usual lack of conversation, but before I can completely "escape" from you, you call out to me for the first time. At least – for the first time, merely as Haruno Sakura, to me, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sasuke."

I turned to look at you, surprised. You had a pretty smile on your lips, and your hair twirled in the spring breezes.

"I'm sorry if I said anything odd at the ball the other day," you said, taking a moment to dab on another stroke of paint before continuing. "It must have been – creepy of me, I guess."

I hesitated for a few moments, but then I took a seat beside you on the park bench. It was an exhilarating feeling sitting before a canvas – an unfinished world that's slowly being created after each of your strokes. It was as if I had taken a step into your world. It was as if we were – _acquaintances _at least.

"Sorry," I said, merely because I had no idea what else to say.

You laughed, but you didn't look at me. You continued painting – that day, the sky is a bright blue with tints of purple and green – and I felt like I had somehow ventured into dangerous territory.

"Is your guitar acoustic?"

I blinked at your random question for a moment, before nodding. I was sort of relieved that I always carried my acoustic for practices – during the daytime – and only had my electric with me for gigs and special rehearsals.

"Wanna play a song for me?"

"I – guess," I said.

You smiled, and I begin to unpack my acoustic. I begin to strum the song that I had been working on for the past few weeks, humming the melody of the vocals.

"No words?"

"They're not finished yet. That's why I'm just humming the melody."

"Oh."

We didn't exchange any more words after that. I continued humming and strumming, secretly repeating verses and the chorus just so our time together wouldn't be spent in awkward silence. You continued on painting the sky, each stroke making that canvas more beautiful. After a while, you looked at me again, and I saw your eyes wander to the corner of my guitar.

"Is that a rainbow?" You asked.

You pointed to the mark that's been on my guitar for as long as I remember – and I had that guitar from the moment I knew how to play. I stared at it for a few moments before looking at you again.

"I guess so."

"Why a rainbow?"

I paused for a few moments before I finally replied with a simple, "I don't know."

You smiled, but I knew that it was forced. I could see the pain in your eyes. I could sense your discomfort when you continued painting again, because your strokes had changed. Your world was changing.

_–_

_–_

We would start talking each time I ran into you after that. We still weren't quite "friends", but we were more than acquaintances. I suppose we were just in that in-between stage where we were still venturing in new territory to discover the boundaries that would be laid down when we became friends.

But a few weeks later, my life changed. My father announced my inheritance – the one he had taken away from me when I was shunned back in junior high – and I immediately became the center of public attention again. I was swept away by high society on one end of my life, and on the other end I was busy recording in the studio for my band. I could never see you in the park, and we could never talk at balls or whatnot because we were in different worlds.

"_Sasuke, watch – _"

I heard your scream, but I didn't know what you meant until I saw headlights grow brighter in my eyes. I jumped with all my might, but everything still faded to black.

_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

"_What are you painting?" _

_You were in a pretty red dress, and your hair was cutely held behind your ears with a pretty barrette. I saw you sitting in the grass fields a few minutes away from my house, a large sketchbook on your lap and finger-paints messily sprawled in the grass._

"_The sky!" You happily said, the largest smile on your lips._

"_Why?" _

_You giggled and continued painting with your fingers. I took a seat next to you and curiously watched you finish your work of art, wondering why there was purple and pink in a sky that was obviously blue._

"_Because the sky always changes! So I want to draw all of them!" _

"_But why the sky?" _

_You looked at me so innocently, your cheeks painted a pretty pink._

"_Cause it's like it's own _world_." _

_I think we were seven years old, then._

_–_

_–_

"_You're that boy!" _

_I saw you again at the beginning of junior high – when we were around twelve. You were wearing a simple green dress that brought out your eyes. _

"_You're – sky girl." _

_You laughed and enthusiastically nodded._

"_Yeah! I've painted so many since then! I'll show you!" _

" – _And how will you go about showing me?"_

_You stared at me for a few moments before breaking out in a fit of giggles. _

"_This is my house!" _

_I took a look around me in the exquisite home where the latest high society party was being held. There were pictures of Mr. And Mrs. Haruno all around the main room, but they looked nothing like you. _

"_I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura – their daughter!" _

_I took a closer look at the pictures, and saw Mr. Haruno had green eyes. They weren't the same shade, as yours were brighter and more apple, yet I could see the resemblance._

"_Sorry. I'm – "_

"_Uchiha Sasuke," you cut in for me, a small smile on your lips. "Everyone knows who you are."_

_You took my hand and pulled me through your mansion of a house until we reached a room filled with your paintings of the sky. At first sight, most of them looked like exact copies, but when I looked closer, I could see the difference. The difference in the colors and strokes you used, the difference in the emotions you put in each pigment of paint on those canvases._

"_This one has a rainbow," I pointed out._

_It was my favorite, because it was the brightest one that was full of more colors. You smiled and nodded._

"_That was the sky when I first met you! So, I guess if I'm sky girl, you can be rainbow boy?" _

"_Please, spare me." _

_You laughed, "I guess that sounds too misleading." _

_I looked at all your paintings in silence. You just hummed an unknown melody and followed me as I circled the room. _

"_Hey, Sasuke?" _

_I turned away from your painting that painted the sky on a rainy day to look at you. Your apple green eyes were wide with innocence. _

"_Can we – be friends?" _

_I turned around and spotted the painting you had done when we were seven. It was amateur looking compared to your more recent ones, but it was still my favorite. I think the rainbow would always be my favorite._

"_Yeah."_

_–_

_–_

"_Oh, you play guitar!" _

_I was strumming away on the acoustic my mother had given me a few years back. I was playing in the field where we had first met, and you walked up to me with all your painting materials. _

"_Yeah. Since a few years ago." _

_You smiled and continued letting me play a random song full of chords that were messily put together. You got your watercolors sprawled around you in the grass, and your canvas was securely placed in your lap._

"_Hey, Sasuke."_

_I strummed the last chord and looked at you. You smiled and pointed to the sky. It was clear – a beautiful cerulean blue that was only that true after it rained. There was a rainbow._

"_You really _are _rainbow boy."_

_I almost smiled._

"_I guess I am."_

"_May I draw something on your guitar?" _

_I looked at you curiously, and your apple green eyes were wide again. I handed my acoustic over to you, because I could trust you with anything artistic. You took colored sharpie pens from your pack of supplies._

"_Don't tell me – "_

_You giggled and quickly finished and handed my guitar back to me._

"_Rainbow boy forever."_

_–_

_–_

"_Sasuke! Sasuke, watch – !"_

_There was a car accident a few weeks later. I moved out of my family's house, and I didn't see you for more than ten years._

_–_

_–_

_–_

I woke up in a hospital room. I was still nauseous from the side effects of the anesthesia, and my entire body was sore and covered in bandages. I felt a warm pressure on my left hand, and slowly turned my head to see you holding on to my hand, your pink hair like a halo spread across the hospital sheets. And then you woke up, your green eyes wide when they met with mine.

"Sa – "

"Sky girl," I coarsely said.

Tears fell from your eyes, but your smile was still angelic. You gripped my hand tighter, and I could almost feel your heartbeat through our skin.

"Rainbow boy," you murmured.

_–_

_–_

My life changed after that. My parents were hesitant to have me wandering around public, as the car accident was most likely planned to kill me and strip me of my inheritance. But then, my idiot of an older brother suddenly returned after ten years, and my father renounced my inheritance of his own will – because Itachi would always be Father's favorite, no matter the circumstances – to rightfully return it to the oldest son and heir.

You visited me in the week where I was stuck in the hospital, and I was really grateful. You would sit beside me, turned to the side to paint the sky out of the hospital window. I felt graced to watch you create another world right before my eyes; to me, it was just simply amazing that it was _possible _to create such worlds. Maybe it was then that I realized that life could never be taken for granted, and that each thing we did could very well be our own crafted worlds. Maybe it was then that I started wondering if I would ever be part of yours.

I guess I fell in love with you in my dreams – when all my memories flooded back to me while I was still knocked out from anesthesia. I don't think those feelings ever stopped – or ever will stop. Actually, whenever I looked at you painting away your skies, I would fall even harder.

I found myself wanting to be someone worthy of some sort of – _sky princess._

_–_

_–_  
_let me fall into your skies  
and fly through your clouds  
because i swear, i swear that  
i'll find you in the crowds  
and cry out to passerbys_  
'_please, dear god, please just  
let me be part of that world'  
__–_

_–_

I finally finished writing the song that's been lingering in my head from the moment we first met a few days later. I packed my acoustic guitar in its case and sprinted out of my apartment, ready to look for you in that park so I could finally sing it to you. For some reason, at that very moment, I wanted so badly to pour my heart out to you and let you know that I sort of liked you a lot.

But – you weren't there. You weren't there for the entire week that I wanted to sing to you. So on the last day of that week, I flipped out my phone and dialed.

"Naruto. Yeah. It's me. I finished that song I told you about. Let's go record it. Yeah. See you in five."

If you ask me whether I planned everything or if I made it off the top of my head, at that moment, I would've said that it was a spontaneous move that had no significance for the future whatsoever. But, I guess if you asked me now, I'd probably say that I planned _everything _just to save some face.

I gave you tickets to our debut performance when I saw you in the park again. You smiled and promised me you would come, and our conversation ended there; it was surprisingly short for not having seen each other in weeks. So when I stepped onto stage, electric guitar hanging on my strap, I saw you in the crowds of fans with your apple green eyes wide with curiosity.

I didn't look at any other fans. I sang to you the songs that I wrote after so many days of wanting to become part of your world. I don't think you understood the lyrics though – at least, the lyrics of our debut single that was recorded before I finished _the _song. Then it was the end of our single, and the crowd was going crazy with surprise and support. I turned to Naruto – our rhythm guitarist – and he smiled at me. I disappeared offstage for a few moments to grab my acoustic, and my other bandmates – minus Naruto – walked off the stage.

And I sang my heart out to you. I think you understood the lyrics, because you had your hands covering your mouth and your eyes were glittering more than usual; I think you were crying. I couldn't really count that as a confession, because the "I like you a lot" could only be understood if you read between the lines.

But I think you knew.

_–_

_–_  
_and i'll wait below the tower of clouds  
waiting for the sky princess to  
descend from her castle__  
so i can finally sing aloud_  
'_please, please just  
let me be your sunlight'  
__–_

_–_

I saw you in the park the next day. I was wearing a beanie and sunglasses to hide my identity, and my headphones replayed music in my ears as I strolled through the park attempting to avoid my new fanbase. You smiled the moment you saw me yards away, and giggled when I took a seat next to you on the park bench.

"Your concert last night was amazing. Thank you for inviting me," you timidly said, taking a moment to observe the sky before returning to your painting.

"No problem. Thanks for coming."

I was uneasy in the moments of silence between us, because I was still unsure if you caught my "confession" or not. But then you turned to me and smiled, and your slender fingers pointed to your finished painting.

"Rainbow boy," you said, pointing to the sky.

I sort of laughed, thinking of all the irony and why on earth I _had _to be "rainbow boy". Then you pointed to your painting again, and then I noticed that there was a dove flying right beside the rainbow.

"I think – that if there's a sky princess, then there should be a ... rainbow prince," you shyly began, averting your eyes from your painting to meet mine. "Because, well, if someone's waiting for the sky princess to descend from her castle, then what about the sky princess? What if she was waiting in her castle for the – rainbow prince – who was as bright as sunlight in her world? What if – the sky princess and the rainbow prince were in different worlds – but they were actually just waiting for – for something like a _dove _to connect them?"

You blushed and looked away, hands hastily putting away your materials. I softly chuckled and shook my head at your antics, but I guess what you said was right. You were a painter, and I was a band member; you were the daughter of corporate owners, and I was the son of company presidents. We had always been part of the same worlds – part of the artistic world, and part of the world of high society – yet we had always lacked a connection.

We just needed – a _dove _to connect us.

_–_

_–_

"You're not painting the sky today."

We were engaged a year after our _sort of _confessions, and a few months after our engagement, our parents gave us a house – well, it was more like a _mansion _– to move into. I was returning home from the recording studio, and you were sitting in our courtyard painting.

"No, silly! This is still the _sky. _Look closer!"

You smiled and continued painting, and I stood behind you watching you finish your world. But what you said was true – it was still really a painting of the sky, yet it was different. Your paintings were usually just focused on the sky; the sky was everything, and besides the sky and few supporting figures, there was nothing else. But in this painting, the sky was – the _background. _The sky was the _world, _but it was more like – the boundaries to the world, not _the _world.

There was a sky princess on the right. You painted her with pretty, light blue flowing hair, and her dress was white and fluffy like the clouds. Then there was a rainbow prince on the left, and his clothes were bright like sunlight and his hair was a platinum blond. They were holding hands – they were _connected. _

I guess – they were connected through the sky.

"It's the sky princess and the rainbow prince!"

I smiled and kissed your cheek, holding your left hand while you added the finishing touches to your painting. Then you stood up from your place and pulled me to the ground, and we lay in the soft grass of our courtyard staring at the sky. I loved the feeling of your hand in mine, and I smiled as the rainbow disappeared and the sun shone brighter in the sky.

"I think we'll stay like this forever," I murmured.

You smiled and nodded.

"Of course we will, silly! 'Cause how could there ever be a rainbow without a sky?"

_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

And suddenly, I realized that I had _always _been part of your world.  
_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

_the sky princess & her rainbow prince: end  
_


	2. the cosmos princess & her prince

_I was always lonely. I always sat alone in a dark house while my mother and father worked overseas. I always ate alone at a dinner table in the empty silence of my empty house. I smiled alone, laughed alone, cried alone. _

_But then I met you, the son of my parents' childhood friends. I went to your house every night. I ate at your dinner table with your family in a large dining room full of lights and sounds. I smiled with you, laughed with you, and cried into your pillows._

_How could I not desire your kindness? How could I not be selfish?_  
_–_

_–  
_**my prince, my princess**  
by: paperbagface

_disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.  
A/N: Thank you so much for your support!_

**fairytale 2. the cosmos princess & her prince**_  
__–_

_–_

_**i. **__roots_"

_–_

_–  
_Shika! Shika!"

I first met you before my parents decided to work overseas – when we were around seven years old. You were visiting with your parents, who have been friends with mine since the diaper days. We had a rocky start at first because of our clashing personalities, but eventually, we warmed up to each other. After all, you were to stay at my house for a few months before returning to your own home in a different city.

"Look! I found a cosmos flower!"

I poked you awake from your nap – you had always loved to nap under clear skies – in the backyard. Your eyes squinted at first, but then angrily looked at me.

"A what?"

I frowned and showed you the pretty cosmos flower – my favorite flower.

"A _cosmos. _One of the prettiest flowers _ever, _Shika! You have to remember!"

You nodded and closed your eyes again. I lay down next to you, staring up at the blue sky. I stared at the cosmos in my hand and thought for a few moments, before snapping the flower off its stem and sticking the flower behind your ear. I smiled and quietly giggled to myself before staring at the sky again.

"Shikaaa, you won't ever leave me will you?"

"Mm," you mumbled.

I knew you didn't think about your answer carefully, but it was enough for me.

_–_

_–_

_**ii. **__sprout_

_–_

_–_

"Shikamaru! You can't go out with her!"

We were in our first year of high school. My parents have begun working overseas three years ago, and your family moved in next door four years ago. I was more like a delinquent back then, wildly rushing through my rebellious phase to throw out my loneliness and anger. I made terrible mistakes three years ago, sleeping around and drinking around. It was _pitiful, _and I was hated and ridiculed. But then you came along. You listened to everything I had to say, and you didn't judge me. You were my best friend. We were _inseparable._

But then a second year, Temari, was starting to make a move on you, and I didn't like it one bit.

You were mine alone.

"Don't be selfish, Ino," you nonchalantly replied, throwing your school shoes in your locker and taking your outside ones out.

"I – just – " I started, but immediately stopped myself. I stared at my toes and let my hair hide my face. I started to cry, and I knew I was acting like a selfish prick. But I really didn't want to give you up, at least not yet. You were still my best friend, and I _loved_ you.

I felt your large hand on my head, and I shyly peeked from behind my strands of hair. You had a crooked smile on your lips, and your cheeks were a little rosy.

"What do you want for dinner?" You asked.

I sniffed and wiped my nose before putting on my outdoor shoes and grabbing my bag.

"Anything you cook."

You laughed and shook your head before removing your hand and making your way out of our school. You stretched your arms while you looked at the darkening sky, slowing your pace so I could match yours.

"Mom's home today, so don't expect me to cook," you said, turning to look at me. "But she did ask me to buy the ingredients for whatever you wanted to eat."

"Then whatever Shika feels like eating," I stubbornly replied, because I was still a rebellious girl at heart. I was still selfish when it came to things about you.

You breathlessly chuckled before ruffling my hair and continuing on your way. My heart stung because all your actions were like an older brother to his little sister. At that time, I was fine with anything as long as I could stay by your side. My love for you was just beginning to suffocate me.

"Shika," I whispered, and grabbed your hand.

Your eyes widened with surprise, your free hand ruffling your hair with confusion. When I didn't let go of your hand, your crooked smile returned to your lips, and you turned away from me.

But you didn't let go of my hand. It was – _cryptic, _but my heart pounded at the feel of your warm skin against mine. My temporary ecstasy overshadowed the consequences.

_–_

_–_

_**iii. **__bloom_

_–_

_–_

We were in our third year of high school, and it was my eighteenth birthday. My reputation had slowly built up over the years, and I was close with a group of girls I met in the middle of our first year. I fit into society again.

You were holding my gifts in one hand and my hand in the other. Since our first year, we had long since started holding hands on our way home. Slowly, I knew your feelings were changing. Even though we were still on the boundaries between _more than friends _and actually _boyfriend/girlfriend, _I was still satisfied. I thought that I would always be satisfied as long as we were together, regardless of our relationship status.

"Shika, where are we going?"

I noticed you had lead us down a different path from home. You merely looked at me with a sideways glance and crookedly smiled. I frowned but kept walking with you nonetheless; after all, time alone with you was never quite enough for me, and I had always took chances whenever they sprung.

"Shika, you think Mom and Dad will call today?" I asked out of curiosity, because my parents always called from time to time. But of course sometimes they forgot – it was only human to forget about things without realizing it. Yet these human flaws made me lonely; even with you next door, even with you right beside me, coming home to an empty home and sleeping alone would always make me feel lonely. It was inescapable.

You smiled and breathlessly chuckled, "Of course. They love you, you know?"

I sheepishly laughed and nodded in agreement, "I guess you're right."

The rest of our mysterious trek was made in comfortable silence. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived in the outskirts of the city, a good ten minutes away from our respectable homes. You dropped all your things in the grass and prompted me to do the same.

"Wait here, okay?"

I looked at you with puzzlement, but I sat down nonetheless, watching as you quickly disappeared in the darkening atmosphere. I twiddled my thumbs while I waited for you to return, reminiscing of the days when you weren't there. I remembered all the bad decisions I made, all of my regrets, all of my mistakes. Where would I be without you now?

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I laughed to myself when I saw that it was my parents calling and quickly flipped open the phone.

"Mom! Dad!" I happily said, lying down in the grass. The stars were starting to peep out under the vast blanket of the dark blue sky.

"_Happy birthday, hun! We miss you tons! Are the Naras treating you right? They better be, or else – Oi, Inoichi, it's still my turn! – so did they give you any gifts? How's school? Did you make any new friends?" _

I laughed at Mom's incessant questioning, responding to all broken questions wholeheartedly.

"_Okay, _okay, _Inoichi! Here, your overprotective father wants to speak with you. I love you, hun! –Oi, Ino, you better make sure the Naras treat you right! If they're not, I'll make sure Shikaku gets – "_

"Dad, don't worry! They treat me fine! I eat dinner at their house every day and – "

I was interrupted when cosmos flowers were thrown all over me. Surprised, I sit up and see you with your crooked smile on your lips, holding the last cosmos in your hands and offering it to me.

"Shi – Shika?" I whispered to myself, completely forgetting that Dad was on the other line.

"_Shikamaru's there? Oi, Ino – eh, Inoichi, is Shikamaru _proposing?_ – Ino! Ino! Oi! That little brat better – "_

"D – Dad! I'll call you back soon! I love you!" I quickly said, hanging up the phone and staring at you with wide eyes.

You broke off the stem and placed the flower behind my ears, much like I had done when we were seven years old, and lay down next to me. You closed your eyes and acted as if you had never touched the cosmos flowers all around me.

"Shika?" I asked again.

You turned to face me, your crooked smile still on your lips. I felt my heart pound against my chest, and I quickly looked down, my hair covering my face.

"Ino, happy birthday."

You sat up and adjusted your position so you were facing me. Then your steady fingers tucked my loose strands of hair behind my ears before going underneath my chin and forcing me to face you. Your eyes looked into mine like they always did. They stared right into mine without judgments or criticism; there was only _emotion _in them.

"Shikamaru," I said again, because that was all I could think to say.

"I meant what I said all those years ago," you began, your fingers leaving my skin. You scratched your head to ease your discomfort and embarrassment. "Even though it's troublesome, I really – "

You stopped short on your sentence and stubbornly turned away. I softly laughed and took one of the cosmos flowers that you had picked and snapped off the stem. Then, like I had done years ago, I placed the flower behind your ear and smiled.

And when you _smiled _– not your _crooked smile, _but a _real _smile – the tears finally fell from my eyes. You chuckled and gently swiped them away with your thumb, gently holding my face in your hands when the flow temporarily stopped.

You never really said the words, but I knew. I could feel your emotions even if you never said them. I knew you finally loved me, too.

"Shikamaru," I began, placing my hands over yours and staring you straight in the eye, "I love you."

You smiled again and touched your forehead to mine.

"Mm."

You didn't have to say the words, but I knew. I _knew._

_–_

_–_

**iv. **_wither_

_–_

_–_

My parents passed away in a car accident a year later. My loneliness ate away at me, _destroying me. _I came to your house every single night, ate the meals your mother made, cried my heart out onto all your pillows while I wondered why on earth my parents had to leave me.

The loneliness was too much for a weak person like me. I dove into the darkness like I had done before you found me. I began partying all night to forget all my selfish loneliness, drinking myself senseless until I had to drunk dial you to beg you to pick me up. I babbled on in the front seat of your car, tears falling from my eyes when my hidden, innocent self spouted out all my loneliness and my tears fell again. I slept alone in my empty bed and my empty house. I don't know how it happened, but my love for you was smothered away.

I had loved you so deeply. I loved you, but I was so _scared. _

I stopped going to your house, crying in your pillows, sitting in the front seat of your car. I had one night stands to try to forget you, because I couldn't take it anymore.

_I didn't want to tie you down anymore..._

And a few months later, you broke the wall that I had created between us. Your eyes were weary, and I knew that I had weakened your heart with all my selfish abuse.

"I'm sick of your empty words. I'm sick of being wrapped around your pretty little finger."

Your eyes were serious, more serious that I had ever known. I felt my heart beating loudly against my chest, tears falling from my eyes like waterfalls. I couldn't stand your serious face, your serious voice, your serious _eyes. _

They made me feel too – vulnerable.

"_Words, words, words! _God damn it, Ino, why can't you just be – _sincere?_"

You started crying, and you covered your face with your hand. Your lips curled in a frown, trembling as you tried to keep your sobs in.

"I can't take this anymore, Ino," you said, your voice full of remorse. My heart twisted, as if you had taken your trembling hands into my tainted soul and wrapped your fingers around my black heart.

"I tried," you whispered, so softly, so _painfully. _"I tried so hard. But what they say is wrong, Ino. Love can't overcome this feeling. I can't take it anymore. I can't stand you and your cryptic words. They're – _suffocating _me."

You were right in every single way. You always _were _right in every single damn thing you did. And I knew I was a terrible person. _You _knew I was a terrible person. You knew I was selfish, taking in all your kindness and repaying you with_ nothing. _But I relied on you because you were the only person I could rely on. _You were the only person in my life._

"Shikamaru," I whispered.

You were drifting away. When we first became friends – _childhood friends _– you were like my anchor. But then – you transformed into some sort of ship and you were just _drifting away, _and it was all my damn, selfish fault.

"Ino, I can't take this anymore," you repeated. One of your hands was in your hair, tightly gripping at the strands on your scalp to try to alleviate the pain in your heart.

Why couldn't I do anything? Why could I only watch as you poured your heart and pains to me?

My heart twisted in my chest – the _pain _was there. My eyes were tearing and red – the _sadness _was there. But why couldn't I reach out to you? Why couldn't I tell you that I was sorry? Why couldn't I tell you that I would _change? _Why couldn't I beg you to stay – to beg you to give me another chance?

Why couldn't I act crazed like any girl would when she was losing her lover?

But I swear, _I swear I loved you._

"_Shikamaru," _I said again, because your name was the only thing I could say.

Your name was the last thing – of _you _– that I could hold onto.

"Damn it, why can't you _say _anything?" You frustratingly asked. _"At least beg me to stay, Ino. At least tell me that these past few years have been fun. God damn it, say anything, Ino!" _

But I couldn't. You knew more than I did that I couldn't.

You wiped away the last of your tears. You took in a deep breath and closed your eyes before getting up from the kitchen chair. It felt like your steps to the door were stomping all over my heart, getting heaver and heavier the closer you got to being _free._

"I love you," You said, your hand on the doorknob and your back turned to me. I barely heard you, but I knew. _I knew. _"Goodbye."

Then you turned the doorknob and opened the door. Light from the outside filled my dismal apartment, and you had your face turned to the sky.

Then, without another word, you were _free._

_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

**v. **_growth: a few years later_

_–_

_–_

After our break-up, I moved to Suna to leave my dismal self behind. I continued in their university and graduated with honors. I finished medical school and became an emergency room doctor. My heart recovered, and my life was back on track again. And even though the road was lonely and bittersweet, I knew that your freedom had saved me.

_I was stronger._

My acquaintance in the high school days and someone I had met at a medical convention during medical school, Haruno Sakura, called me and told me that the Konoha Medical Hospital had an opening for the emergency room. I was apprehensive at first, and she assured me that she had merely recommended me and had nothing to do with whether or not I was accepted or denied (she was, of course, one of the best doctors at the hospital). But I knew it was a job offer I couldn't deny, so I packed my bags and said goodbye to the city that brought me back to the right path.

And there I was, standing in front of the home where we shared happiness and heartbreak. And there you were, sitting on the front steps, waiting for me with your crooked smile on your lips. I stood in front of you, and both of us were silent. Memories of our past pains and mistakes replayed in my mind, but I was stronger. I took a step towards you and extended my hand, a light smile on my lips.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino."

You were silent for a few moments, but I saw all the emotions in your eyes.

"Nara Shikamaru," you finally replied, shaking my hand.

That was all you said to me that day, but it was all you _had _to say. Even without words, I knew what you were feeling inside of your heart. _I knew._

_I missed you. I love you. Don't do that ever again._

_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

The seed of our first love had withered, but it didn't die. When the springs come, the green stem of a cosmos flower will sprout from the same roots, and this time, its petals won't fall.

_–_

_–_

_–_

_–_

_the cosmos princess & her prince: end_


	3. the music box princess & her prince

_I wind up this aged music box every morning when I'm getting ready for work. I listen to the simple, beautiful melody that fills my empty room with memories of you, of me, of _us. _While I stare into the mirror, fixing my hair and putting on makeup, I see flashbacks of our youth – of when we were both so young and hopeful. But when the music stops and I'm brought back into the silence of my empty room, tears always fall from my eyes when my days with you are only memories – when there is never anything more to my desperate longing._

_I wind it up again before I go to sleep. In the darkness, the beautiful melody transforms into some sort of waltz of the stars – a musical presentation of the twinkling lights of the stars and the faded noises from the outside city. And when I close my eyes, I enter the world of my memories. I enter the world of smiles, laughter, holding hands, lips pressed against each other, _warmth. _I remember the bitter memories that, over the flow of time, have turned sweet._

_I miss you, and I love you. But I know that you, like your love, is only a fleeting memory..._

-

-

-

-

**my prince, my princess**  
by: paperbagface

_disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.  
A/N: Been a while since I last updated. Hopefully, you like this one. Thanks for your support!_

**fairytale 3. the music box princess & her prince**

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-

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_rewind: eighteen years old_

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-

-

I was really smitten by you when I met you during university. It might have been the fact that I've never met anyone so arrogant, so cold, and so _defensive _before in my life. You always sat in the corner of the classroom by the window, staring at the outside world, so detached and isolated from the hustle and bustle of the classroom. Even when all the girls in the classroom were staring at you, attempting to speak to you and break your barriers, you still remained like a glacier that refused to melt under the warm sunshine.

Even if we didn't speak one word to one another, I couldn't help but start a crush – one reminiscent of high school crushes – on you. Yet even then, I was stuck in a predicament, because I didn't want to fight the gravitation, but I knew I had to stay within my limits. I had to stay rational.

"You're Haruno Sakura, aren't you?"

I was surprised when you were the one to break the barrier between us. You were standing in front of my desk, lips formed in an annoyed frown, onyx eyes looking down upon me. I thought I would have been too embarrassed, speechless beyond belief that you had _finally _talked to me. But I _wasn't. _I don't quite know how or why, but I was strong and brave. Maybe it was the way that you looked down upon me that sparked the side of me that bordered irrationality.

"Yeah. No need to look annoyed. What do you want?"

Your eyes widened, probably by surprise. It must have been the first time a girl spoke to you without a red blush on her cheeks and hearts in her eyes. Considering how attractive you were and the experiences you'd probably experienced because of these looks, I guess I could understand why it took you a few moments to gather your thoughts.

"We're partners in the research project," You finally said, your voice less sharp.

Ah – the third-quarter research project that was required for our molecular biology course. I scratched my head, a sheepish smile on my lips. I always failed to read the bulletin board outside of the classroom before walking into the room.

"Will you be okay stuck with someone like me?" I lightly joked.

You smirked and crossed your arms, shaking your head at my childish antics that I would never abandon.

"It's not like I have a choice. Partner assignments were chosen by the professor."

I cheekily smiled, maybe from the happiness that came from you _finally _talking to me, or maybe because I could sense that your barriers were somehow beginning to melt.

It was a beautiful beginning for the both of us.

-

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-

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_play: twenty-six years old_

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-

"Have you resolved to die lonely?"

Yamanaka Ino, my best friend, solemnly smiles at me, taking a sip of her warm coffee as she sits down in the hospital cafeteria. Such meetings like this are our morning routines, catching up on the events of the previous afternoon and evening, as we both led different lives that are no longer as intertwined as they used to be.

"I don't know," I reply, taking a bite out of my blueberry muffin before opening the morning's news paper, skimming the front page for news that may prove interesting.

Ino sighs, staring at the sparkling engagement ring on her ring finger. I know that she can read my heart, as we've been friends since the high school days. The look in her eyes is solemn as she quietly watches me read my paper and eat, occasionally taking a sip of her coffee before returning her pensive eyes to mine.

"What happened, Sakura?" She finally asks the question that has lingered in the air between us for the past three years.

I look up from my newspaper, eyes wide and unsure of my own answer. She takes my hand in hers, and I can't help but stare at the beautiful ring on her finger that I was more than envious of.

"You were so happy," She continues, and I almost think that she's been waiting to have this talk with me for the past three years. "What happened?"

I squeeze her delicate hands before releasing myself from her loose grip, my eyes downcast and a somber smile gracing my usually content lips. The music of my music box plays in my ears, as if I've just wound it up in the morning to listen to its enchanted melody and let it take me away into the rosy world of my memories.

"I don't know."

_I miss you. I miss you so much._

I feel tears brim at my eyes and feel my heart twist in my chest as I continue to remember you. The memories flood into me, taking me away from this world of pain and loneliness. Ino says nothing more, and the rest of our meeting is done in an accepted silence.

"I love..." I begin to say in my delirium, and Ino quietly moves and sits beside me, holding me in her fragile arms.

_I love you._

-

-

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_rewind: twenty-one years old_

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-

We became the best of friends after the research project. My high-school-like crush aside, we were comfortable with each other. I knew that I was different for you. I wasn't the crazed girl that was infatuated with your very existence, nor was I completely ignorant of your painfully obvious genetic makeup. Rather, I knew that I was a balance – at first, I knew I was just the "nice girl" whom you trusted and befriended; nothing more, nothing less. And the me at twenty-one could accept that friendship bond between us. Even though I knew I hungered for more, as long as I could stay by your side, I didn't care whether I was a friend or a lover.

I was happy just to see you every day; it was enough for me.

And I knew that even though I was just the "nice girl", I was more valuable to you than any other girl. Even though you treated me the same as our other best friend, Uzumaki Naruto, I knew that there was another strange, intangible bond between us that kept us together. For me, I knew you would do anything. On days when I would be in the library for hours, studying away at medical texts and writing reports for various biology research courses, you would often take a seat on the other side of my table, pulling out your own texts and reading them. Even though you never said a word, I knew about the underlying sentiments that were behind your otherwise cryptic actions.

At that point in our life and our relationship, my high-school-like crush turned into something that was flourishing into love. Unrequited or not, I knew that I would stay by you whether you wanted me to or not. Because that's exactly what love did to people – it made them crazy.

-

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_play: twenty-six years old_

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-

The streets of Konoha are always alive, no matter the time of day or night. Walking these streets is casual routine for me, passing by the same stores and the same lampposts that illuminate the same patch of sidewalk at the same time every night. These same streets and stores and lampposts seem to be the only stable foundations in my otherwise chaotic life, never moving, never changing. Perhaps their stability is the reason why I'm so fond of walking these streets after my hospital shifts; after all, a person so lost in helplessness as I am can only scramble to find stable foundations to hold onto. With my life so centered around my music box and the fleeting memories that the enchanted melody holds, it is only in my nature to grasp at those stable foundations, hoping to anchor myself in a reality that would be fractured and rosy without them.

Besides, I constantly tell myself that maybe, with a good stroke of luck and a fair amount of hope, I'll see you walking down the streets. Maybe I'll see you, and I can confess everything I've hidden inside. Then my life will no longer be so stuck into the past of our memories together; then perhaps I wouldn't be in such delirium when it came to matters about you. People might think that my devotion to you – a person _only _in my memories and nothing more tangible than dreams – is insane.

But I'm still crazy about you – I'm still in love with you. And to be perfectly honest, I don't think that fact will ever change.

"Sakura!"

I turn around and am met with the cheery face of Uzumaki Naruto, our best friend. I smile and wave, waiting for him to catch up. He hugs me tight when he reaches me, his standard greeting that hasn't changed.

"So, how are you?" He asks, after we being our trek down the city streets side by side.

"The usual," I reply. "How about you? How's Hinata?"

He grins, a light blush coloring his cheeks. It's cute how he's still so embarrassed at the mention of his wife-to-be, even though they've been together since the university years.

"Great."

I smile and jokingly pinch his cheeks before jokingly saying, "Naru-chan is so _cute!_"

We both share wholehearted laughter. I'm surprised when he suddenly takes my hand, his cerulean eyes carefully gazing into mine.

"But seriously, Sakura, how are you?"

I release myself from his grip and turn away, slowly continuing my walk. I know that he is asking me about _you. _After all, he's my best friend – my older brother-type figure – and he can see right through any barrier I place between us.

"I won't give up," I sincerely say, turning behind me and offering a genuine smile.

Naruto sighs with relief and ruffles my hair.

"Good. If times call for it, I'll hunt him down. I'll drag him back and save the first punch just for you."

My lips curl into an amused smile before I quietly murmur, "It's a promise then."

-

-

I arrive in my apartment after Naruto and I split ways. I immediately head to my bedroom, too tired to cook up a fairly decent dinner. After changing into my pajamas, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and various other before-bed rituals, I finally take a seat on my bed.

In my hands is the music box that you gave me three years ago. I slowly wind the key, gently placing the box on my nightstand after winding it to its maximum ability. Turning off my bedroom light, I lie awake in my bed, the soft music of the box slowly lulling me away to slumber – to the world of my dreams and my memories.

"I miss you so much," I murmur, a lone tear falling from my eyes.

The music continues on, carrying me away into the remnants of our days together.

-

-

-

-

_rewind: twenty-two years old_

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-

A year ago, I resolved that I would be okay being your best friend. But my feelings for you were overflowing. As cheesy and cliché as it sounded, I couldn't help but love you more as the seconds of us together passed us by. I felt as if I were suffocating from all these overflowing feelings that I could only keep inside.

I was terrified. I was so scared of letting those feelings free, because I was so scared of your rejection. I had grown to love you so much that I felt that without you, my life would be _over. _It was pathetic of me to think that way, but it was true. I didn't want to sound like your various fan girls, because I knew my love was true. I didn't want you to think my love was just a fleeting emotion based on your appearances, because you knew as well as I did that it wasn't.

But I knew I had to tell you. My overflowing feelings were ramming against my self-control, and I was scared I would just scream out to the world that I loved you. Along with that, I would never know if some other girl would snatch you away from me because of my own cowardice. I was never the type of person to go down without a fight.

It happened in November. You were at home – in that _lonely _apartment of yours – sick with a flu. I knew that you were probably passed out on your bed, bottle of water on your nightstand to hydrate you whenever your throat felt dry; but I also knew that you were probably going to open up a bowl of instant ramen rather than find gratification on some home-cooked chicken soup with proper nutrition. And me, being the prospective doctor that I was, couldn't deal with the fact that you would be suffering in that lonely apartment without even warm chicken soup to soothe your soul. So, flu medicine and other groceries in hand, I crossed a line that I never would have dared to cross –I invited myself into your house after finding your spare key.

My feelings were overflowing –

"Sasuke! It's me," I said, taking off my shoes and placing my bag at your doorstep. I took a deep breath and walked through your living room, knocking twice on your bedroom door before entering.

You were sleeping in your bed, empty bottles of water scattered about your floor. But the moment I quietly shut the door and dropped the bag of groceries beside your bed to pick up your trash, your eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Eh, Sakura. Why are you here?" You asked.

"My best friend senses were tingling. You aren't getting proper nutrition, are you?"

You shifted position in your bed, turning on your side to watch me pick up the scattered bottles to throw into your recycle bin later. Your onyx eyes watching me so intently made my heart beat faster than I was used to; I thought it was the first time you had watched me so undistracted before.

"Go home," you finally said.

"Nope," I immediately replied, shoving all your used up bottles into the grocery bag. "Just sleep more. I'll be back with soup after it finishes cooking."

"No."

I sighed, wondering how someone as mature as _you, _the _epitome _of mature, could be so immature at a time like this. Couldn't you just accept my kindness, since I've accepted yours wholeheartedly? If you didn't love me, you could've at least let me stay by your side, friend status. _Best friend status._ A took a seat on your bed and stuck my hand against your forehead, shaking my head at your high temperature.

"Have you taken medicine?" I asked.

"—Yes."

"You should never lie to a doctor."

"You aren't a doctor yet, are you?" You smugly replied.

I jokingly pinched your nose, standing up from your bed and taking the bag of groceries in my hand.

"Shut up and go to sleep. I'll be back in a bit."

You didn't say anything, only watching me as I exited your room.

"Sakura," I heard you call out.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

I smiled to myself as I threw the bottles into your recycling bin and rummaged through your cupboards to find the proper cooking equipment to make decent soup. I took out the vegetables I bought at the market, chopping them up to add into the broth that was slowly boiling on your stove.

"Sakura?" I heard you faintly call from your room.

"What?"

"I don't like ginger. Don't even think about it."

I laughed to myself, shaking my head at your antics. It was too late, I thought, for me to take out the ginger. For one, I had already cut it up into pieces and added it into the broth. And for two, ginger was good for you; with the meals you've been eating prior to my arrival, you needed to boost your immune system.

So I just continued on with your chicken soup, waiting patiently for it to fully cook. I glanced around your neat apartment, the hidden sadness in this house flowing into me. The fact that you had only one picture in your apartment, and it was on a table that met the most sunlight in the living room, was a story only Naruto and I knew of. The picture of your family – that crumpled photo that had all your past memories and resentments torn into the aged piece of paper.

_My feelings were overflowing._

When the soup finally finished, I poured a portion for you in one of your bowls, adding freshly cooked white rice to the mix. Grabbing a place mat from your dining table and proper utensils, I made my way to your room. When I entered your room, your eyes were closed and your breaths were slow and even; you were sleeping, and you had the most peaceful expression on your face that I had ever seen.

"Hm," I quietly said to myself, setting everything down on your table.

I kneeled in front of your bed, memorizing that rare, peaceful expression.

_I love you._

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this in, Sasuke," I whispered, gently lowering my head onto an open portion of your bed.

You startled me when your hand gently rest atop my head, carefully running your fingers through my bobbed hair. I lifted my eyes and stared at you, your cheeks rosy – was it from the fever? Or were you genuinely blushing? – and the corner of your lips tugged up into a miniscule smile.

"Don't," you finally said, your other hand covering your onyx eyes.

"Don't what?" I asked, my heart stopping as if it were expecting something ominous.

"Don't – _say _those things," you mumbled.

"And why not?" I defensively said. "I just – it's just – it's _true. _They're overflowing. They're telling me that I love you. That I'm in love with you. That I'm crazy – "

"Because when you say those things," You said, interrupting my defensive rant by taking your fingers and quickly pinching my nose. "Mine overflow too."

No words could come out of my mouth at that moment. My eyes widened, and I felt all the heat rush to my cheeks. And you – _you, _the devil you were – slowly sat up in your bed, finally uncovering those smoldering onyx eyes, your lips finally moved into an _actual _smile. You brought your blanket-covered knees to your chest, resting your head atop them as your eyes continued to stare into mine.

"But you've known that for a while, haven't you, Sakura?"

I blushed as I mumbled, "But you were always so cryptic – "

"Tsk," you said, lightly knocking your hand on my head before you turned in your bed and picked up the bowl of soup.

I watched, almost in some dumbfounded trance, as you ate. After your first few bites, you paused and stared at me, your lips tugged into your trademark smirk.

"Didn't I tell you that I hated ginger?"

I smiled and shrugged, leaning my back against your bed to stare at your blank white ceiling. I saw millions of colors shining brightly atop that blank ceiling – was it from the euphoria? Or did it signify the millions of possibilities that have just popped up into our lives?

"It's good for you," I finally replied.

"Hm," you replied, and continued eating on.

Wordlessly, without extravagant actions – we were one.

-

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_rewind: twenty-three years old_

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-

Our relationship flourished after that November day. Nothing much had really changed between us; the transition between best friends and lovers wasn't difficult. After all, we had always been on that border of "something more". Really, all we had to do was move our feet to step over a puddle. Life at that moment, with our mutual feelings, was the best euphoria I have ever felt. Everything seemed brighter, _warmer. _That happiness, that _perfection, _lasted one year.

But one day, a bullet came to shatter that perfectly happy world – _our _world. It was a day that was drowned by the oncoming storm – the ominous grey clouds and the pouring rain. You were standing in front of my apartment, your onyx eyes filled with remorse. Your clothes were soaked through, and I stood a few feet in front of you, the rain mixing with my tears. _I knew it was happening._

"It's over?" I quietly asked, the pounding rain drowning out my voice.

"Don't say that," You replied.

Your hand moved to touch my cheek, a habit that you had picked up in the year that we were together. But it froze before your cold skin could touch mine. There was a barrier between us then. One that we both knew couldn't be broken – not at that moment in time. I looked up into your remorseful eyes, all your feelings of sadness mixing into mine.

"You know I have to do this," you said, shoving your hands into your pockets and turning your face to the sky. More rain fell down onto your face and rolled down your cheeks.

And I did. I knew your estranged relationship with your family. It was the reason you were so cold, so _closed off _from the world. It was the reason why that old photo of your family, crumpled at points in time, but so carefully _saved _in that simple frame, was the only photo to be found in your house. Your relationship with them was what haunted you over the years. It was what made you feel an unbreakable loneliness, one that even Naruto and I could not penetrate. It was your unfinished business that had been procrastinated for far too long.

"I – know I have no right to say this, but I love you," You said, your once strong, unwavering voice quivering with unknown emotion.

"But you have other priorities," I selfishly said, dropping my head, my hair clumping together and sticking to my face. More rain fell onto us, and more tears fell from my eyes, indistinguishable from the pattering rain.

"I'll come back. I promise, Sakura. So please, just wait for me," you quietly asked.

And without another word, you quickly got into your car and drove away. I thought it was a selfish request, but it could be done. After all, I was already crazy to have loved you for six years.

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The next morning, the sun peeked out from beneath the dark blanket of clouds. I opened my door to fetch the newspaper, and saw a tiny box set atop the pile of newspapers. When I unwrapped it, there was a simple, yet quite beautiful, music box. Inside was a note, messily scribbled and folded.

_I promise._

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_play: twenty-six years old_

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My eyes slowly flutter open when the first rays of sunshine penetrate the shutters on my windows. I slowly sit up in my bed, stretching my arms and rubbing my eyes. I frown when I feel the dry, sticky streaks of tears on my cheeks; another night dreaming of us – of _you, _and my tears still fall from my eyes. No matter how hard I force myself to continue on in the day without missing you, my body rejects my willpower.

_I love you._

I quickly get out of bed and jump into the shower, beginning my daily morning regiment to prepare for a long shift at the hospital. When I finish cleansing my body and begin working on my appearance, I wind up the aged music box once more, carefully taking out the crumpled paper to read the messy letters that have kept me frozen in time.

_I promise._

The simple, beautiful melody fills my apartment, and my daily dose of nostalgia continues. When will this vicious cycle ever stop? When will you come back?

When can I – start _living _again?

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_fast forward: twenty-eight years old_

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Life continues on. I continue on in my casual routine, winding up the music box every morning and every night. I happily smile and clap my hands when Ino and Shikamaru are married, hugging her and congratulating her like every best friend and maid of honor should. I do the same for Hinata and Naruto, happy to see my friends finally start a new chapter in their life. Slowly, parts of my stagnated life began to move again.

But I still never forget about you. I remember you, I dream about you, I _love _you. I continue fulfilling your selfish request, thinking to myself that you'd surely return and put me out of my impatient misery.

It is a warm, spring night. I'm walking home from my shift at the hospital, carrying birthday presents I had received during the day in my hands. I looked at the blooming cherry blossoms as I walked, thinking about how beautiful the pastel pinks and whites looked like stars ascending from the blanket of diamond sky. The road continues on, time quickly passing me by as continued walking on in that road illuminated by bright stars. I stand before my apartment complex, preparing myself for another night – preparing myself to be taken back into the world of my memories like every night. I fumble for my keys, ascending the stairs to reach my floor and my room.

And then –

"Hm, wouldn't it be nice to watch where you're going?"

"I'm sorry – " I begin to apologize, but my eyes widen and everything in my body freezes.

It's _you. _You are standing in front of my door, holding one, simple rose in your pale hands. Your cheeks are painted pink, and your onyx eyes gaze into mine, much like they had done five years ago.

"Will you be okay stuck with someone like me?" You lightly ask.

I smile and gently take the rose from your hands, tears beginning to fall from my eyes. Your hand gently cradles my cheek, your gentle fingers wiping away the tears that continue to fall.

"It's not like I have a choice," I say through uneven breaths. "Partner assignments were chosen by the professor."

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_And finally, I can wind up that simple, beautiful music box without feeling the overwhelming nostalgia. No longer does that beautiful melody lull me away into the world of my memories, the only place you existed. No longer does that melody sing a song of painful, unforgotten love – of reminiscence and loneliness. No longer does the crumpled promise folded within the music box hold the key to finally being _free.

_Now, that melody sings the song of our hearts – of love and promise finally fulfilled and euphoria finally met. _

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_the music box princess & her prince – end _

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_I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Thank you so much for reading!_


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